Faith and Valor

Faith and Valor:

The Israelite community had just been delivered from 400+ years of harsh oppression in Egypt by the sovereign hand of God. They’ve watched as God decimated Egypt with a series of plagues, which culminated in the Destroyer passing over (Passover) and their exodus. Israel’s deliverance was for their benefit – freedom to worship God at Horeb (Mt. Sinai).

Just twelve days after they watched Moses turn a sour spring into sweet water, and just fifteen days after their departure from Egypt, “the entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron” (16:2). That’s the epitome of “What have you done for me lately?”

The source of their grumbling was rooted in the utter putrescence of selfishness.  Israel was promised deliverance into a land flowing with milk and honey - not because they were entitled, but because God wanted to demonstrate His lovingkindness and mercy. Instead of relishing in their deliverance - all they could focus on was the fact that they were in the wilderness/desert of Sinai.

The severity and nature of their accusation against Moses & Aaron had significant implications. The community of God’s chosen people - chosen to adorn the love and light of God to all the nations (Gen 12:3) is instead calling Moses’ credibility and competency into question.

Since Moses was God’s divine representative, Israel was actually calling God’s credibility and competency into question – something that historically never ends well. The Israelites contrast this awful wilderness adventure with the “good ol’ days” in Egypt where “we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted” (16:3). How quickly they had forgotten about being oppressed slaves living in shackles, fear, and oppression. The Israelite community was ultimately saying they preferred imprisonment with a banquet buffet to God’s deliverance and total sufficiency.

Lady Eowyn’s character, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings, stands in stark contrast to the attitude of the Israelites.  In The Two Towers Aragorn asks, “What do you fear my lady?” Eowyn responds, “A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” The Israelites preferred the cage, bars, and buffets of slavery in Egypt over God Almighty because they had to walk for a few days.

Israel questioned God’s sufficiency and expressed their sincere desire to exchange their relationship with God Almighty for imprisonment and buffets. God responded mercifully with manna (literally ‘what is it?’) from heaven and quail to show them that if they would just ask... if they would just trust... if they would have a little faith - then God would bless them beyond their wildest imaginations.  

In Exodus 17 the Israelites again tested God (17:7) and questioned whether or not God was even with them – EVEN THOUGH – God remained in their midst as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night! They could literally see God’s manifest power in the food they ate and His glory as a pillar of cloud/fire, yet they had the audacity to say, “I’m not really sure if this God-dude is ever around” because they got parched. So again God shows His patience, love, and kindness by instructing Moses to strike the rock of Horeb (17:6) i.e. the Mountain of God. When Moses did water flowed freely to quench their thirst.

God was trying to teach Israel about His total and unquestionable sufficiency in all things if we would simply look to Him in prayerful abandon and worship. God IS life itself and He desperately desires to show us time and time again that when we seek satisfaction anywhere other than in Him... it results in separation and death – just as God warned/instructed us (Gen 2:17).

Life is found in Christ alone.  We all came into this world separated from God. We’ve all sought life apart from God. The penalty is still the same as God said it would be: DEATH – not injury, not a slap on the wrist, but DEATH, i.e. separation from God.

For those who have not received the gift of faith in Christ from God - they are perpetually and eternally stuck there unless they surrender to Jesus and allow His perfect sacrifice to pay for their rebellion. For those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ - we do not lose our salvation, but in failing to act in faith our choices still result in separation from God and painful consequences.

As sons and daughters of Adam our birthright is DEATH - the eternal prison of sin. Fortunately, thankfully, graciously there is hope, security, and reconciliation with God through Christ, the only One who saves  from the prison of sin (Acts 4:12), and the only One who can reconcile us with our Creator (John 14:6).

God brought the Israelites into the wilderness so that they could see what was in their own ugly, selfish, misguided, perverse, entitled hearts. God does the same for us. When the wilderness wanderings come in life we can either: A) respond in faithfulness – trusting God and His absolute sufficiency in all things, or B) we can grumble, demand, deny, and reject God out of selfishness and self-glorifying entitlement - all the while failing to recall what Christ has done and brought us through, that God reigns in our hearts, and is worthy of all honor and praise DESPITE the tragic circumstances of life.

Religious people parade around doing lots of useless things that look impressive to the rest of us. Jesus rejects all those shenanigans. In Matt 7:13-23 He says to those who prophesy in His name, who drive out demons and who do miracles, “I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!”  The will of the Father is NOT the stuff you do, but on the faith with which you do it.

Is the prison sin so familiar that you’ve failed to realize you simply accept it without question? Have you allowed the enemy to convince you that you have neither value nor valor in the kingdom of God? Or have you rightly realized that YOU (yes YOU!) are a redeemed child of the King of Kings - God Almighty - Creator of heaven and earth - and that the prison of sin, which He died to release and redeem you from, is NOT your fate any longer!

At those times of wilderness wanderings you can either look back upon your time in bondage with a false sense of nostalgia and reminisce about the “good ol’ days,” or you can get in touch with reality and realize that God is trying to reveal what is in your heart - where the junk and filth still needs to get chiseled away.

Does the desire to glorify God with ALL your life still call you unto valor? Jesus paid the ultimate price so you could choose to live a glorious life of freedom in faith as a redeemed child of the risen King.

Which will you choose: The cage of sin or faith in God?

Blessings,

-Kevin